Hard to put into words: India’s Prannoy on bronze medal feat

The Indian men’s badminton team with their Thomas Cup bronze medals at Horsens in Denmark recently. Pic/Bdminton Photo

Ace shuttler HS Prannoy reflected on India's bronze medal finish at the Thomas Cup campaign, saying it will stay with him for a long time. India made their first-ever Thomas Cup final appearance in 2022 and clinched a historic gold medal. But in the 2026 edition, the former champions fell to France, who made their first-ever Thomas Cup final, 3-0 in the semifinal to take the bronze medal home.

"This one stays with me. For a long long time. Not just the medal, but everything around it. The build up, the energy in the group, the belief we kept feeding each other. Those last few days… hard to put into words. Just pure emotion. Grateful for this. Truly," Prannoy, who was part of 2022 winning team, wrote on X.

At this year's tournament, India's run came to an abrupt halt at the Forum Horsens, where a depleted side struggled to match a clinical French unit that scripted history by reaching their maiden final. The absence of Lakshya Sen, who was ruled out with an elbow injury ahead of the semifinal, proved a significant blow to India's chances.

Ayush Shetty, stepping up as the first singles player, went down to world No. 4 Christo Popov 11-21, 9-21 as France took an early lead. Srikanth Kidambi then battled hard against World No. 10 Alex Lanier but fell short 16-21, 18-21, leaving India on the brink.

Prannoy, entrusted with keeping India's hopes alive, fought valiantly in the third singles against World No. 17 Toma Junior Popov. Despite a spirited effort, he lost 19-21, 16-21 as France sealed a comprehensive 3-0 victory. India's journey to the semifinals had already secured them a podium finish, marking only the second time they reached the last four in Thomas Cup history, after their historic title triumph in 2022.

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